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Earlier this week we got a chance to look at the 3DS eShop for the first time before it launches on Monday June 6. So far, the service looks similar to the DSi shop, with a handful of extra features. The main sections of the eShop are the Virtual Console, which is limited to original Game Boy games only at this time, and the DSiWare catalog, which replicates what’s already available on the original DSiWare shop. There's also a 3D Classics category, with Excitebike 3D the solo entry at launch, which will be available for free for the first month. Full details inside...

After the news over a week ago that Nintendo was requesting the removal of non-official Pokedex apps from iTunes and the Android market, we had an inkling that an official Pokedex was on the way in some form. Well, we now know that the 3D Pokedex will be available as a free download via the 3DS eShop when it launches on Monday June 6. But how does it stack up against other freely available fan 'dexes? We've got all the details...

Namco Bandai has been doing an excellent job lately of rejuvenating their classic catalog on XBLA and PSN, with fresh updates of old arcade standbys like Pac-Man Championship Edition DX and Galaga Legions. So it was with well-placed optimism that we took up our 3DSes and checked out what Pac-Man and Galaga Dimensions has to offer...

Imagine my surprise when I walked into an Ocarina of Time appointment and immediately heard "today you'll be playing the Water Temple." After fainting, barfing, then barfing until I fainted again, I was able to shed off 13-year-old PTSD long enough to try the new 3D version of said temple, only to discover it's not as bad as our collective memories tell us. In fact, several changes to Ocarina 3D actually made the mind-shredding temple... dare I say, enjoyable?

It’s been a surprisingly long time since the last Dead or Alive fighting game release – Dead or Alive 4 came out way back in 2005, around the launch window of the Xbox 360. We’ve had some spin-offs and a very bizarre film adaptation in the meantime, but DoA’s core competency of intense one-on-one 3D fighting has been, well, dead for a while now. But Team Ninja’s not content to let one of its crown jewels collect dust, and now Dead or Alive is alive and kicking again, making a comeback in the form of DoA Dimensions on the 3DS. We sat down with Team Ninja’s Yosuke Hayashi to discuss all matter of DoA related subjects, ranging from the current fighting game landscape to the franchise’s future as a post-merger Tecmo-Koei property...

The LEGO games are coming out fast and furious (well, maybe not so furious with those affable yellow faces) with the latest Star Wars version recently released and LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game close on its heels, coming up already in May. Since it’s the first LEGO Pirates game, but the release coincides with the fourth Pirates movie, LEGO Pirates manages to cram all four Pirates movies into its story, which we’re sure will lead to bite-sized individual movie portions, but is that really a bad thing? Particularly with...

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I really liked the first LEGO Star Wars game. It was new, refreshing and based on fun, not realism. But since then, the sheer volume of LEGO releases has put me off somewhat. We've had Batman, more Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Rock Band, Harry Potter, even more Star Wars and now this... that's a lot of LEGO. But, based on what I've just seen, the series is on top form and slicker than ever before. Time to take notice.

You think Sega had any idea that way back in the GameCube days of 200X that Monkey Ball would be the go-to franchise for showcasing new hardware? Day one for Wii: Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz. Apple needs a game to champion the accelerometer in its new phone? Monkey Ball was there too. Our preexisting love for AiAi and Gon Gon aside, you could argue that the series was strangely, unwittingly, ahead of its time. Very soon, it’s set to launch yet another platform, and it’s bringing a new technical feat along with it: 3D, baby!

It's a pretty rare thing these days -- even in indie circles -- to see products that are designed almost entirely by one person. Such was the case with Daisuke Amaya's five-year opus, Cave Story, which has slowly grown from its humble PC beginnings to become a retail WiiWare and DSiWare offering, courtesy of indie dev house Nicalis. We've already had the chance for a little sit-down with Amaya himself last week, but it wasn't until later that evening that we got to actually play the full-blown 3D remake...